Combination oil-gas burner and gas burner adapter for gun-type oil burner



Jan. 28, 1958 H. J. IDE ETAL 2,821,246

COMBINATION OIL-GAS BURNER AND GAS BURNER ADAPTER FOR GUNTYPE OIL BURNER Filed May 14,1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TORS.

H 07. J02 1 03 2% 3). small- Jan. 28, 1958 2,821,246

H. J. IDE ETAL COMBINATION OIL-GAS BURNER AND GAS BURNER ADAPTER FOR GUN-TYPE OIL BURNER Filed May 14, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent COMBINATION OIL-GAS BURNER AND GAS BURNER ADAPTER FOR GUN-TYPE 01L BURNER Harris J. Ide, Burlington, and Louis B. Schmit, Lake Como, Wis., assignors to Synchronous Flame, Ina, Walworth, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application May 14, 1951, Serial No. 226,258

4 Claims. (Cl. 158-11) This invention relates to a combination oil-gas burner and to a gas burner sleeve or adapter for replacing the tube of any standard gun-type oil burner so as to create a combination oil-gas burner.

Interchange gas rates between gas producing, transporting and distributing companies are generally based in part on peak load requirements. The peak load frequently results from heavy demands of those burning gas for heat in extremely cold weather and public utilities some years ago in some parts of the country established a lower gas rate for those users of heating gas who equipped their homes or plants with automatic switchovers to some other fuel such as coal or oil when the outside temperature dropped below 20 Fahrenheit.

Burner manufacturers immediately sought to supply combination gas and oil burners for domestic use. But these combination burners are extremely expensive and necessitate removal of an existing installation and frequently substantial alteration of the combustion chamber of the furnace. Savings on the gas rate even over a period of fifteen or twenty years is scarcely sufficient to justify a man selling a five to seven hundred dollar oil burner installation for the nominal sum obtainable in the second-hand market.

The gun-type oil burner is very common in the United States. They are expensive, well built and have many years of life. Millions of homes have these burners, all properly mounted in the combustion chamber of a furnace and all suitably equipped with controls including room thermostats, relays and safety features. While an owner of such equipment will only rarely be persuaded to dispose of it in favor of a combination gas and oil burner, a large number can be persuaded to add a gas burner for $150 or $200, including full additional controls, if a satisfactory combination burner will result, i. e., one that the utilities will approve for the lower rate.

The principal object of this invention is to provide such a gas burner adapter-one which will (a) burn efficiently and quietly; (b) whose operation will change from gas to oil or from oil to gas automatically; and one in which the burning of the gas burner will not impair the efiiciency of the oil burner when the latter takes over, and conversely, one in which the efficiency of the oil burner will not be impaired when the gas burner takes over.

This adapter must have considerable versatility. The tubes on gun-type oil burners are not built to a single diameter. On the other hand, the oil line and nozzle are quite similar on most gun-type oil burners. A feature of applicants invention therefore is the provision of a plurality of adapter collars which make it possible to mount applicants gas attachment on any gun-type oil burner.

A second condition that must be met relates to various kinds of gases. A gas adapter will be handicapped Unless itcan handle manufactured, natural, mixed, and

liquified petroleum gases. In order to handle these different kinds of gases, it is necessary that the gas jets of the burner be quickly demountable so that one suitable for a manufactured gas can be installed where such gas is to be used, and replaced with other jets where other gases are to be used.

It is also necessary that there be a very simple means for adjusting the quantity of primary and secondary air, as the various types of gases burn at maximum efiieiency with different proportions of primary and secondary air. Some gas burners have forced secondary air; others, called atmospheric burners, rely upon ordinary draft to bring in secondary air. The fundamental point of departure of applicants invention resides in their employing the output of the fan of the gun-type burner to supply all of the air both primary and secondary for either the oil burner or the gas burner while providing auxiliary means for reducing the total amount of air used during gas operation. Applicants place all these air controls as well as the gas burner itself on a tube to be substituted for the gun tube of a standard gun-type oil burner. The result is that their adapter can be placed in operation (a) without altering the existing combustion chamber of the furnace; and (b) while continuing to use the existing oil burner and all of its controls. Installation labor is comparatively small and the customer does not feel that he has suffered any capital loss.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the main housing of a gun-type oil burner to which is attached applicants gas burner adapter, shown in longitudinal, vertical cross section, with its flame end just inside the wall of a combustion pot;

Figure 2 is a perspective, exploded view of a gun-type oil burner with its air tube removed and applicants gas burner adapter in position for slipping over the end of the oil burner jet;

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of a gas jet; and

Figures 5 and 6 are alternative forms of adapters provided by applicants for mounting their gas burner adapter on the various kinds of gun-type oil burners.

Continuing to refer to the drawings, particularly Figure 1, the numeral 10 generally identifies a. gun-type oil burner whose operation is important for this invention in two respects: it possesses an air delivery orifice 12 through which air is delivered from a motor-driven fan at a substantial velocity. In applicants system, it is proposed to use this air flow as both the secondary and the primary air for the combustion of gas. As will appear, it is this use of the air from the oil burner fan which is primarily responsible for applicants being able to provide a packaged gas burner adapter which does not require alteration of the combustion pot of the furnace and thereby tremendously simplifies installation and reduces expense.

Secondly, referring to Figure 2, the gun-type oil burner provides an oil pipe line 14 extending centrally and outwardly from the air delivery opening 12. At the end of this line is an 'atomizing oil jet 16 adjacent the top of which is an igniter 18. Around this oil pipe 14 is a gun barrel 20 which is fastened over the opening 12 in a variety of ways in the various makes of burners. Applicants have illustrated the connection as one employing a simple flange 22 on the gun barrel 2% and this one is held to the face of the housing by screws through the complementary holes such as 24 and 26. Assuming that this oil burner is installed in a home, the gun barrel 20 is mounted in a combustion chamber 28, as suggested in Fig. 1. This oil burner, returning to Fig. 2, is actuated by a relay from a power line 32 in response to a room thermostat 34, all somewhat schematically shown. These controls are already installed and it is desired to continue to use them.

Applicants gas burner adapter consists of a steel tube 49 in the outer end of which is mounted a choke ring 42 carrying vanes 44 forming passageways directed toward the axis of the tube 40, or more significantly, referring to Fig. 1, toward the trusts-conical end portion 45 of the sleeve 46 having a smaller diameter than the tube 4% so as to form an annular passageway 48 between the tube and the sleeve. The sleeve 46 is held concentrically of the tube 40 by spacer blocks such as 50 which slideably engage the inside wall of the tube 40. An arm 52 rigidly fastened to the inner end of the sleeve extends longitudinally of the tube and passes through a slot 54 therein by means of a bent portion 56. This bent portion is mounted on a slide 58 which by means of a threaded screw 69 may be tightened against a fixed collar 62, thereby holding the sleeve in any desired position within the limits of the slot 54.

Suspended from the burner end of the tube is a pilot light 64 and beneath it a thermally responsive control 65.

Spaced from the burner end of the tube but adjacent that portion of the tube end in which the sleeve 46 is positioned, irrespective of longitudinal movements of the sleeve, is a circular pipe or gas manifold ring 66. Through the inner wall 63 of the duct 66 are a plurality of threaded holes such as 70, see Figs. 3 and 4, in which are mounted gas jets 72. The jets have a duct bend 76, and as illustrated in Fig. that the gas is ejected in a plane axis of the tube 40.

Radi'ally of each jet 72, in the outer wall 78 of the circular duct 66 is a larger hole 80 and cap 82, in threaded relationship.

In that portion of the tube adjacent to the oil burner housing is an opening 84 carrying a rectangular insert 36 with a slightly smaller opening 88. Adapted to seat over this opening 88 is a gate 90 pivoted on shaft 92. The gate at right angles to the may be thrown from open to closed position by means of V a solenoid 94, see Fig. 2, having its actuating arm v93 connected to an offset portion 96 of the shaft 92. There is an adjustment on the arm 93 which makes it possible to open'the gate 90 to deflect any desired amount of air.

Referring to Fig. 2, the numeral 100 identifies a collar comprising a cylindrical portion 162 into which the end of the tube 40 may be tightly pressed and held by a set screw 103. The flange 104 has holes similarly spaced to those of flange 22 on the original oil burner gun barrel.

The various oil burners on the market assemble the gun barrel with the air delivery orifice of the main housing in various ways and applicants make available several diiferent types of adapters wherein one end is designed to fit into the air orifice of a particular make of burner while the other end of all of the adapters will receive and hold the end of the tube 40, see as illustrative, Figs. 5 and 6. 7 Applicants will now describe the installation of the unit, including generally, the controls.

Referring to Fig. 1, the installer will find an operating gun-type oil burner in a basement which looks very much like the unit shown in Fig. l where 28 is the combustion pot and the tube 40 is the original tube (i. e., 29 of Fig. 2) of the unit. it will be necessary to retract the gun-type oil burner from the combustion chamber, and referring to Fig. 2, the original gun barrel 20 is removed leaving the oil line 14, jet 16, and oil igniter 18 untouched, as well as all of the controls. The installer then selects that adapter such as 109 or one of those shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which are designed for the particular gun-type oil burner of this installation, and mounts it over the air delivery orifice 12. He then slips the gas burner adapter, that is the free end of the tube 40, into the cylindrical portion 1t32 ot the adapter and tightens a set screw 1123. 1

The oil burner with adapter is then returned to its origij- 74 with a right angle a 3, they are all set so 4 nal position with the mouth of the burners inside the combustion chamber, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The next step is to connect the gas ring 66 to a source of gas. Applicants controls are not conventional, but they need not be shown here in detail. The supply of gas illustrated in Pig. 1 is from a main through pipe 110. The pipe leads the gas through a valve 112 and thence the main supply follows the pipe line 114 through a gas pressure regulator 116, a safety switch 118 operated from the control 65 which is responsive to the presence or absence of a burning flame at 129, through a main control valve 122, and thence to the inlet opening 124 of the gas manifold 66.

e A thermostat 126 is mounted on the outside of the house and set to close the circuit 128-130 on a rising temperature, usually as the temperature moves above 20 Fahrenheit. When said circuit is closed, a relay 132, receiving power from a main power line 134, actu'ates the solenoid 136 of the valve 122. Connected in parallel with this line are the lines 138 and 140 to the solenoid 94, see also Fig. 2, which upon actuation moves the gate 90 into the position shown in Fig. 1. The pilot light 64 is constantly burning, it being connected by a small tube 142 through a valve 144 to the main valve 112.

The motor 148 of the oil burner which drives the fan is connected to the relay 132 by conductors 150 and 152,

as is a solenoid 164 by conductors 151 and 153. When solenoid 164 is actuated, it closes a valve 165 in the oil delivery line and opens a by-pass back into the suction side of the oil pump (not shown).

The method of operation is as follows: When the thermostat 126 closes the circuit 128130, the gas line is opened causing a flow of gas into the annular passageway 48. With the jets 72 positioned as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, there will be a clockwise movement of the gas in the passageway. The motor 148 of the oil burner and the solenoids 164 and 94 are energized. There is a flow of air outwardly of the tube 40 and consequently through both the annular passageway 48 and the central passageway 154. The circular, transverse movement of the gas in the annular passageway assures a good mixing with the air in the passageway which is the primary air. As this mixture of gas and air strikes the vanes 44 of the ring 42, it is directed inwardly on the cone of the sleeve 46. The pilot 64 ignites the gas and the air rushing through the central opening acts as a secondary air.

Before discussing the oil operation, applicants point out several advantages of this construction. In the first place, the oil burner fan is able to supply all of the air, both primary and secondary, that the gas burner needs. By utilizing this column of air, applicants can tightly close the combustion chamber around the tube 40. The installer may then move the sleeve toward or away from the ring 42 so as to vary the amount of primary air which is initially mixed with the gas. After this setting has been made, he can adjust the arm 93 of the solenoid 94 so as to open the gate 90 any selected distance and thereby control the quantity of secondary air flowing through the central passageway 154.

It is readily seen that given a certain gas, the installer can quickly adjust applicants adapter to the best proportions of primary air and secondary air to that gas. The importance of this will be appreciated in considering the fact that the B. t. u. characteristic of the gas provided by one public utility may be very different from that provided by another. Natural gas has very different characteristics from those of manufactured gas and today public utilities mix the two in proportion to the amount of each kind of gas that each particular utility has available. The quantity of gas admitted into the annular passageway 48 is controlled by the diameter of the opening 74 of the jet 72, see Fig. 4, as well as by the pressure of the gas at the particular location. The installer by removing the cap 82 may install quickly the size jet which the particular gas and pressure the particular utility calls for.

Also, the amount of primary air which is mixed with the gas is controlled at the delivery orifice of the annular passageway which is called the annular gas orifice and given the number 160, and not at the point 162, as is normally the case. Applicants burner lights without a butt or whoos and the flame is quiet, soft and radiant, characterized by an absence of smoke and carbon. By moving the sleeve, a blue flame or a radiant flame can be obtained. These highly desirable results are attributed to the fact that the gas primary air mixture is ignited immediately after it has been inwardly directed on the flowing column of secondary air through the passageway 154. There is a ring of burning primary air-gas around a core of supporting secondary air, the quantity of both types of air being exactly controlled.

Considering now the transition to the oil operation, when the temperature in the thermostat 126 drops below 20 Fahrenheit, the circuit 128-130 is opened, thereby shutting off the gas through the valve 122, returning the gate 90 to closed position, opening the oil flow valve 165 and shutting off the motor 148. Simultaneously, however, the thermostat 126 closes the circuit 166-168 thereby actuating the relay 30 which instantly again energizes the motor 148 which causes a flow of oil through jet 16 which is ignited by the igniting finger 18.

The foregoing description of operation has been predicated on the assumption that the room thermostat 34 has closed the thermostats through the relays 30 and 132 so as to establish a flow of current to the operating parts. When the room thermostat does not call for heat, its circuit is open, as are those through the relays 30 and 132. It will be noted that this schematic wiring diagram assumes that the controls and operating units are functioned by main line voltages. This, of course, is not correct but the showing is deemed sufiicient for the purposes of this application.

Applicants gas adapter construction improves the oil burning operation. In the first place, the segregation of the air in the tube into a central column and an annular column has the effect of providing a primary and a secondary air for the oil burner. This seems to reduce the noise from oil flame and again reduces or eliminates pufi or whoosh when the oil is ignited.

Secondly, referring to Fig. l, the jet is positioned inwardly of the outside of the choke ring 42, and the sleeve 46 cannot be retracted into the tube along the slot 62 by a distance such that the outer end of the sleeve will be inside the end of the oil jet. While the sleeve 46 and the gate 90 are set primarily to give a selected blue or radiant gas flame, the position of the sleeve aflects the hardness or softness of the oil flame. There are some oil and gas combinations which can be adjusted to provide whatever flame for both oil and gas the installer desires. Commonly, the installer positions the sleeve 46 during an oil burning operation to provide the type of oil flame wanted. Then he throws it over to gas operation and adjusts the arm 93 and gate 90 to get the desired gas flame. If this cannot be attained, he adjusts the sleeve bearing in mind that this will alter the oil flame.

The conical portion 168 of the sleeve serves to protect the oil jet 16 from carbonation during gas firing, a very important feature. The oil jet does not overheat during gas operation so as to cause trouble when a change-over is made to oil.

What applicants have done is to provide a gas-oil burner in which the air which serves as the primary air for the gas burning operation becomes the secondary air for the oil burning operation, and conversely, the air used by the oil burner as its primary air is the secondary air for the gas burner.

Another advantage of the applicants burner resides in its ability to operate efliciently as a straight oil burner or as a straight gas burner. Many will not wish to bother with the outside temperature control 126 and wiring incident thereto. Again, some may wish to burn only oil during the cold months and only gas during the balance of the year.

Having thus described their invention, applicants claim:

1. A combination oil and gas burner comprising a tube, means for introducing air under pressure to one end of the tube, a sleeve adapted to contain an oil jet and mounted in the open end of the tube so as to create a central air passageway and an annular air passageway which form at the outer end of the tube a central opening surrounded by an annular opening, said sleeve being movable axially of the tube, a choke ring around the inside outer periphery of the tube, a gas jet opening into the annular air passageway, and control means for introducing fuel through only said gas jet.

2. A forced draft gas burner comprising a cylindrical tube having an inlet end and a delivery end, a second cylindrical tube concentrically mounted within the first so that one is near the delivery end of the outer tube thereby forming a central duct and an annular duct terminating in an annular delivery orifice, said ducts being in communication with each other at a point spaced from the delivery orifice, means for introducing air under pressure into one of said ducts at a point spaced from the delivery orifice, means for introducing gas into the annular duct at a point between the annular orifice and the point of communication between the ducts and spaced sufi'iciently far from the annular orifice so that gas and air may mix into a primary combustible mixture before reaching the annular orifice, and means for varying the cross-sectional area of the annular orifice so as to control the velocity of the air-gas mix in the annular duct.

3. A forced draft gas burner comprising a cylindrical tube, an inwardly directed circular flange mounted on one end of said tube, a cylindrical sleeve concentrically mounted within the tube and axially movable toward and away from said flange so as to form a central passageway and an annular passageway terminating in an annular orifice variable in size by movement of the sleeve, said passageways being in communication with each other, means for introducing air under pressure into one of said passageways at a point spaced from the annular orifice, and means for introducing gas into the annular passageway at a point between the annular orifice and the point of communication between the two passageways and spaced sufficiently far from the annular orifice so that gas and air may mix into a primary combustible mixture before reaching the annular orifice.

4. A combustible oil and gas burner comprising a housing, an air orifice on said housing, a fan for delivering air to said orifice, a cylindrical tube mounted at one end over said orifice, a sleeve mounted within said tube so as to form a central passageway and an outer passageway, said passageways being in communication with each other at a point spaced from the open end of the tube, the cross-sectional areas of the two passageways being so proportioned to each other that each will supply substantial secondary air to a flame burning from the other passageway, means for introducing air under pressure into one of said passageways at a point spaced from the open end of the tube, means for introducing gas into the outer passageway at a point between the open end of the tube and the point of communication between the two passageways and spaced sufiiciently far from the open end of the tube so that gas and air may mix into a primary combustible mixture before reaching the annular orifice, an oil jet mounted in the central passageway near the open end of the tube, control means for introducing fuel into only one passageway at a time, and means responsive to actuation of the control means for changing the gross quantity of air introduced under pressure.

(References on following page) References Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Park et a1. Oct. ll, W211es Oct. 11, Caufield Sept. 30, Eickworth Apr. 3, Argo et a1. May 7, Sherwood July 23, Peabody Dec. 3, Sherwood Oct. 25, Barley Oct. 24, Voorheis Mar. 20,

Cone Apr. 3,

8 A151. 17, Campbell July 7, Macfa'e' Apr. 25, H OWB Id 6 1331 Jilly 29, Armstrong July 18, Turpin Jan. 30, Ra'skin .Oct. 25, Kilight- Aug. 8, Hill Oct. 24, Siemon Mar. 17,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain -2 Sept. 18, 

